


A Different Experience

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds, Spencer Reid - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 02:12:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8352247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Spencer and the reader meet in college and become great friends, despite being quite different.Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)





	

Great. 

Another 4 years of high school, just...college.

High school had been hell for him. Day after day he’d been pushed, kicked, spat on and called every name in the book. As he walked into the mandatory orientation for his freshman year, he scanned the crowd, noting that so many of his soon-to-be classmates had already formed friendships before starting their first year.

All alone, yet again.

As if on cue, an effervescent young woman bounced her way up to him, reaching her hand out to introduce herself.

“Hi, My name is Y/N,” she said, practically bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet in excitement. “What’s your name?”

No one was ever nice to him. He was used to being ignored, so having this pretty young girl his own age happily introduce herself to him threw him off guard. Although he didn’t like much physical contact, he reluctantly reached out his hand for hers. “I’m Spencer. Spencer Reid.”

“I haven’t met a Spencer yet,” she said looking around at the crowd of new students. “A lot of Johns, Stacys, Michaels and Katherines, but no Spencers. So, Spencer Reid, what are you studying?”

She looked like she genuinely wanted to know. “Psychology. I hope to get a Ph.D. and eventually work for the FBI. What about you?”

“Oh that sounds glamorous,” she said with a shining smile, “I love to travel and I’m fairly business-minded, so I figured majoring in business would let me do what I love and still prepare me for the real world.”

For the rest of the orientation, Spencer and Y/N talked about high school, their families and their hopes for college in their own little corner of the auditorium, isolating themselves from everyone else.

Maybe he would have one friend here.

\----------------------

Three months into his freshman year, Spencer really only had Y/N to talk to, but that was okay. She was everything he wasn’t - outgoing and confident, so she had other friends. But she always seemed to make time for him, even though he didn’t fit in with anyone else she associated with.

“No way, Y/N,” Spencer insisted, closing the psychology textbook he’d been studying from.

She clasped her hands together and made a pouty lip, bringing a smile to his face. “Please?”

“Y/N, why would you want me at this party? There’s going to be a ton of alcohol, all the popular people, all of your other friends...I’d just bring you down,” he said matter of factly.

“I want you there ‘cause you’re my friend, Spence,” she said. “One, yes there will be alcohol, but I won’t be drinking. I think it’s kind of gross honestly. Two,” she counted on her right hand, “the ‘popular people’ will be there, but they all suck and I don’t associate with them, and before you point it out, if anyone were to make fun of you I’d punch them in the face. And three, you’d probably get along with my other friends really well.” She had actually thought this out.

She was his only friend and he did want to have some semblance of the “college experience,” but he was still hesitant. Noticing his resistance, Y/N continued, “I’ll make you a deal, okay? You come to the party, hang out with my other friends, have some food, dance with me a bit and if you are truly hating it after a couple of hours, I’ll drive you back to the dorms. Okay?”

Spencer crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, sighing, “Deal.”

\----------------------

As he walked into the dorm of the university’s sister school, Spencer felt completely out of place. The only thing keeping him in place was Y/N’s presence at his side, assuring him that he only had to associate with the people he chose to. 

“Can I just talk to you then?” he asked hopeful.

She shrugged. “You can if you want, but do you mind if I introduce you to a few of my friends first?” She noticed him collapsing into himself, desperate to disappear. He’d told her about his high school days - they really did a number on him. “I’ll introduce them in small groups so I don’t overwhelm you.”

“Alright, let’s go,” he said, trying not to make eye contact with the people he considered “popular.” He hadn’t had as difficult a time as he did in high school, but he definitely still felt like the lonely outsider that was easy to pick on. 

Y/N moseyed up to two of her friends from one of her math classes, Brian and one of the many Stacys she had met at orientation. “Hey babes, this is my bestie, Spencer. We met at orientation too,” she pointed out, looking toward Stacy.

“Hey, man,” Brian said, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you. Y/N tells us you want to work for the FBI some day?”

Spencer released some of the tension in his shoulders. Brian was much like him. Lanky, geeky and sort of shy, although more outgoing than himself from the looks of it. “That is the goal. I feel like it would be the best way for me to dissect people’s behavior, which I’ve always been really interested in,” he trailed off, fearing he’d been too enthusiastic about his future goals.

No one else seemed to think so. “That’s awesome,” Stacy replied. “I’d love to know why people do the things they do,” she said, jutting her head in the direction of some of the popular students that had just walked in, already trashed and half naked. “People are weird.”

For the next couple of hours, Y/N, Spencer, Brian and Stacy sat in the same area of the dorm, chatting, eating and laughing while the rest of the party seemed to fall to pieces around them. After being joined by two more of her friends, which Spencer had surprisingly been very comfortable with, Y/N attempted to move their conversation to the dance floor.

Obviously everyone else had made their way to the dance floor immediately, while Y/N stayed behind, imploring Spencer to dance. “Come on Spence! You’ve done so well so far. You told me you wanted to come out of your shell, right?”

He nodded. He had said that. Right now, he was kind of regretting the statement. “Then dance with me!”

“I can’t dance, Y/N.”

“Neither can I,” she said in her trademarked no-nonsense tone. “I’m just gonna go out there and flail like an idiot because it’s fun. Just focus on me and if you hate it after one dance we can stop.”

Once again, he reluctantly followed her, a small smile crossing his face as he watched one of the popular jocks get jealous of him, standing next to Y/N. He must have liked her. Well, too bad, he thought. 

She wasn’t necessarily considered popular, but she got along with everyone and everyone loved her. As a bouncy song buzzed through the dorm, Y/N began jumping up and down, flailing her arms around laughing. Her friends seemed to just sway back and forth, but Y/N was out of control without a care in the world.

Spencer attempted to copy her craziness, but it really was all her. She was unlike anyone else he’d ever met. He began to let go, jumping up and down at her side, eventually joining into the larger group of her friends. After about 20 minutes of jumping around like a crazy person, Y/N turned toward Spencer, asking if he wanted to grab some soda or water from the kitchen.

“I’m exhausted,” she exclaimed, wiping the sweat from her brow.

He pushed them both through the crowd, desperate for something to drink himself. “I don’t doubt it. That’s what happens when you jump around like a maniac.”

Without knowing, Y/N and Spencer had been followed into the kitchen by one of the jocks and his stuck-up girlfriend, who slurred in Y/N’s general direction. “What are you doing here with him, Y/N? Everyone loves you. He’s just a nerd.”

Y/N felt him recoil at her words. This was what high school was like for him - except that was even worse. Then her stupid boyfriend decided to weigh in where his opinion wasn’t asked for. “Yea Y/N, you need yourself a real man. I’ve got a few friends who’d like to get with you if you’re ready to dump this loser.”

Apparently people thought you were dating. Whatever. They’d think what they wanted, but she played along, wanting to dissolve the situation as quickly and effectively as possible. “I think we both have different definitions of what a real man is, Jake. I’m with exactly who I want to be with right now,” she pointed out, looking in the direction of Jake’s girlfriend, “and if you don’t get your drunk asses out of my face we’re going to have a problem.” She grabbed Spencer’s hand, briskly walking out to hopefully regroup with the rest of her friends, leaving the bitchy couple aghast in the kitchen.

“Y/N, why did you pretend we were dating?” he asked as soon as they’d left the kitchen.

She turned toward him, giving him a hug. “Because people are going to think what they want to think and I wanted them to leave us alone.” She kissed the side of his cheek. “I meant what I said, Spence. You’re my best friend and I wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else right now.”

He looked down at his feet, shuffling them back and forth, nearly unable to believe the kindness she’d showed him since the school year started. “Thanks, Y/N,” he whispered, pulling her into another hug, “I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’ve already made high school a completely different experience than high school. You ready to go back to the group now?”


End file.
